Vote counting may be delayed: Press Secy

The Interim Government Chief Adviser's Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, has indicated that vote counting in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, scheduled for February 12, may experience delays.

He made the remarks during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Wednesday, following a meeting on election-related law and order chaired by the Chief Adviser.

"During the meeting, it was informed that vote counting may take a bit longer this time. Often, delays in counting lead to the spread of rumours, so this was clarified in advance," Shafiqul Alam said.

He explained that the delay is primarily due to the complexity of the process. "This time, it is not just an election; a referendum is also being held simultaneously. As a result, two sets of votes will be counted at the same time. In addition, there are postal ballots. For these reasons, vote counting may take slightly longer in some cases," he added.